Nikolina Vujičić was crowned Miss Universe Serbia 2026 on August 30 in Belgrade, beating out a field of 16 finalists to earn the right to represent Serbia at the international Miss Universe competition. What sets her apart from a typical pageant winner isn’t the crown itself — it’s the career she’s stepping away from, briefly, to wear it: she’s a working pediatric emergency nurse in Chicago.
Who Is Nikolina Vujičić
Vujičić works in the pediatric emergency department at a Chicago-area hospital, and is currently pursuing doctoral studies in family medicine at Loyola University Chicago. She traces her family’s roots to Dragov, in Serbia, while having built her professional life in the United States — a dual identity that’s become part of her story as Serbia’s newest Miss Universe representative.
Her pageant background predates this win by several years. At 18, she was crowned Miss Des Plaines Teen USA, and went on to place among the top 15 finalists at Miss Illinois Teen USA, where she also won the event’s Spirit Award. That early run gave her real competition experience long before the Miss Universe Serbia stage, and reporting on the event describes her as one of the competition’s frontrunners from early in the process, not a surprise winner.
What happened at the Belgrade final
The Miss Universe Serbia 2026 final drew a notable celebrity turnout, with entertainers Maya Berović, Sandra Afrika, and Milica Todorović among the attendees, and musician Saša Kovačević performing at the event. Sixteen finalists competed for the title. Jelena Njegovan finished as first runner-up, with Tara Stojšić placing second runner-up.
Why the nurse angle matters for how this story lands
Pageant coverage often treats a winner’s day job as a footnote. Vujičić’s case is a little different: pediatric emergency nursing and doctoral-level family medicine study are demanding, credentialed work that doesn’t pause easily for a competition schedule, let alone international travel and appearances. That combination — a genuinely high-stakes medical career alongside a national pageant title — is part of why her win is generating attention beyond Serbia’s borders, and it’s a detail future coverage of her Miss Universe run will likely keep returning to.
What comes next
As Miss Universe Serbia 2026, Vujičić now moves on to represent the country at the international Miss Universe competition. As with any newly crowned national titleholder, her placement at the international stage is not yet known — that’s determined at the Miss Universe final itself, not the national one she just won.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nikolina Vujičić?
A Chicago-based pediatric emergency nurse and doctoral family medicine student at Loyola University Chicago, crowned Miss Universe Serbia 2026 on August 30 in Belgrade.
Where is she from?
She traces her family roots to Dragov, Serbia, while living and working in the Chicago area.
Did she have pageant experience before this?
Yes — she was Miss Des Plaines Teen USA at 18 and placed in the top 15 at Miss Illinois Teen USA, where she won the Spirit Award.
Who were the runners-up?
Jelena Njegovan finished first runner-up and Tara Stojšić finished second runner-up.
What does winning Miss Universe Serbia mean for her next?
She now represents Serbia at the international Miss Universe competition, with her placement there still to be determined.
The Bottom Line
Nikolina Vujičić’s win is a real, credentialed pageant result — she was a frontrunner with genuine prior competition experience, not a surprise pick — but the detail that will likely define her run at the international stage is the one furthest from the pageant world itself: a demanding medical career she’s carrying into it alongside the crown.
